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hollowistheworld's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
A solid enough mystery but the pacing was borked. Most mystery novels are primarily from one perspective - the detective. There's a reason for that. All the perspectives in this book muddied the plot, slowed the pace, and generally made me wish they'd get on with it, as it led to us constantly having to rehash things for the next character. I think the whole thing could have been written to be entirely from Emma's perspective and it would have streamlined the whole thing marvelously. I shouldn't be more than halfway through a book and still wondering what the hell the opening scene has to do with anything. The autism stuff too - I shouldn't be halfway through and going 'why are we spending so much time talking about this? What does this have to do with the plot?' Even at the end I was unconvinced so much of that was necessary. Mysteries, by virtue of their genre, typically need to be kept tight, and this was definitely not tight. It was a sizable bundle of plot ideas and glimpses of Ghana issues, but they connected poorly, when they connected at all. I could also write a sizable article about all the ways this book is an example of how men seem to be incapable of writing believable female characters. Men may stop paying attention to the creep staring at them at a party, but a woman who's recently escaped sexual assault? She's watching him like a hawk. Not quite a bad book - I wasn't longing for the end like with some I've read - but I wouldn't call it good either.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Ableism
not_another_ana's review against another edition
Incredibly boring. And then I saw it was 421 pages long and decided I couldn't put myself through all that. Just in the initial 20% there were 7 or so POVs and we barely saw the supposed protagonist. I did like the way Ghana was described and the references to the country and its culture but that was it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Misogyny
dgrachel's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I enjoyed the mystery aspects, even though this wasn’t at all what I expected. It’s a clever, twisty tale, involving internet scams and high-level police corruption. I enjoyed the setting and the peek at Ghanaian culture. The characters are varied, complex, and interesting, with well developed motivations/motives.
There is one thing that really bothered me and, quite frankly, ruined the book for me so that I doubt I will pick up anything by this author. People often joke about how poorly some men write female characters. For the most part, Quartey does this just fine, with one exception. He writes a sex scene, and he describes the outfit the woman is wearing, including “a tiny triangle of black patent leather over the entrance to her pleasure grotto”. Even two days after reading that part it still makes me want to vomit. There’s also no need for this scene. It could have been removed without any loss of plot or character development and then, I would never have had to read the phrase “pleasure grotto” and I could have died a very happy woman
There is one thing that really bothered me and, quite frankly, ruined the book for me so that I doubt I will pick up anything by this author. People often joke about how poorly some men write female characters. For the most part, Quartey does this just fine, with one exception. He writes a sex scene, and he describes the outfit the woman is wearing, including “a tiny triangle of black patent leather over the entrance to her pleasure grotto”. Even two days after reading that part it still makes me want to vomit. There’s also no need for this scene. It could have been removed without any loss of plot or character development and then, I would never have had to read the phrase “pleasure grotto” and I could have died a very happy woman
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Sexual harassment
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